


Do You Kiss On The Fifth Date?

by Not_You



Series: She Who Must Be Obeyed (And Other Stuff) [7]
Category: Punisher (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Awkwardness, Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Kink Negotiation, barely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 21:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10907577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_You/pseuds/Not_You
Summary: In which Frank and Joan become a thing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [tainted hearts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8340385) by [AliuIce0814](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliuIce0814/pseuds/AliuIce0814). 



It's on the fourth date that Joan brings up SHIELD. They may be chaste and tentative, but these are definitely dates. At least Joan understands that Frank can't move too fast, that he's still married to a ghost and will probably need a lot of time. Anxious as Joan is, she's happy to go slow, and usually just brings him food and watches him eat it with a gentle and proprietary attention that makes his skin feel too warm, but in a way he kind of likes.

Tonight, though, Frank actually asks her. "So," he says, "you know I'm not ungrateful, but I have to ask: why me?" Joan may be so shy it's actually a condition, but he's not expecting the way she blushes. "You don't have to answer," he adds, a little too fast, but she giggles, hidden behind the overlong sleeves of her sweater, and Frank relaxes a little.

"Well, at first I was just determined to actually greet my next new neighbor, whoever they might be. And then I thought you were very..." Frank hates the way she pauses here, not because she's talking about him this time, but because she sometimes gets this look like he's going to hate her for picking the wrong word. He waits it out, and feels himself doing some blushing of his own when she finally whispers, "...beautiful?" She smiles at Frank, apparently taking courage from his own fit of shyness. "And then I felt like a fool after we talked and I got a proper look at you, because you're my new favorite SHIELD model."

"Gee," Frank says after a long silence, "I had no idea I was famous." This makes Joan laugh, a sound that he will never be tired of. "Uh... do you have a favorite shoot?" By now he has done a few, one of them wearing this stupid latex cock-sling that he really hopes Joan has missed out on. He's pretty sure he's still got baby powder on his balls.

"The first one is the best because they knew exactly what to do with you," Joan says, "but the latest is almost as good."

This latest shoot involves Frank actually wearing some of SHIELD's petplay gear, and he squirms a little in his seat. "Really? That one?" It sounds harsh to his own ears and he's trying to think of something else to say to take the edge off when Joan laughs again.

"The discomfort shows a bit, but it just makes you look like a good dog, wearing these things because your master put them on you. It's very sweet." She suddenly blushes an alarming red and pulls her head into her sweater like a turtle. It's so silly that Frank has to be very careful not to laugh at it and make her feel more self-conscious. "I just remembered that I have it in my purse," she says after a moment, slightly muffled. Such an admission would make Frank want to hide too, and he's amazed at the courage it must have taken to give an honest explanation for this sudden fit of anxiety.

"Hey," he says softly, "I'm just glad you like any picture of me that much." He means it, his heart warmed by the thought of Joan going around with an image of him, even if he is probably more than half naked and wearing dog ears.

"I was kind of hoping that I could get you to sign it," she squeaks, and Frank can't help a wide, delighted grin.

"Sure thing," is what he says, and it takes an embarrassingly long time to find a pen, because he doesn't do that much writing. 

Joan waits for him, and blushes again but courageously pulls out the picture. It's definitely the best one, just a shot of Frank from the shoulders up, giving the camera that look that all the photographers call 'smoldering.' He's just wearing the collar here, with its bone-shaped tag, and he actually looks pretty good, in a surly kind of way. Frank signs it carefully, and Joan beams at him. It's kind of weird that she's a fan, but it's definitely a lot better than disgust. She tucks the picture back into her purse, and checks the time on her phone.

"I have a meeting tomorrow," she says, with a sigh. "I should at least try to get to sleep early."

"Who are you meeting?" Frank asks, and then immediately hopes that it doesn't sound controlling. He's just curious.

"My boss. He's okay but he shouts sometimes." She shrinks a little just mentioning it, and Frank sternly reminds himself that making Joan look like that is not actually a capital offense. Barely.

"I'm not doing anything tomorrow," he says, unsure just what in the hell he wants to offer. 

He can't go with her and loom over this guy like a mob enforcer, fun as that might be, but he hates to think of Joan all shrunken and withdrawn. She sure doesn't look like that now, pinning him with a long, searching stare that he can't do anything but meet, unsure what she's looking for and hoping that she finds it.

"I'll be home by three. Come and visit, if you want."

Frank does want. So much that it's more than a little creepy. He informs himself of this over and over and in the strongest terms as he sits watching the clock like a complete fucking freak, but it doesn't help. Exactly at three-fifteen he gets up, checks himself in the mirror, and makes his way to Joan's apartment. He has never set foot inside it and isn't sure exactly how to feel about that now. When he reaches Joan's door he knocks very quietly, hoping he won't startle her. He feels like he shouldn't be empty-handed and maybe like he should jump out a window, and then there she is. She looks more than a little nervous, but smiles and invites him in.


	2. Chapter 2

Joan's apartment gives an incredibly strong impression of softness and comfort. The air is filled with a warm, sweet scent that's somehow familiar, and there are plush covers over a lot of the furniture, and a lot of little pillows and throws that miraculously don't seem fussy. There are also potted plants tucked into various corners, and prisms hanging in the windows. Frank slips out of his shoes, which look so massive on the mat next to Joan's. He follows his hostess to an overstuffed couch, with a little wooden coffee table in front of it. The table is covered in doilies, and there's tea for two neatly arranged on top of the lace.

"You don't seem like the tea type," she says, sitting down and gesturing for him to join her, "but it's what I always have, and I thought you might want to try it."

"Thank you," is all Frank says, letting her pour him a cup. 

"Milk and sugar?"

"Please." The china is thin and fragile, adorned with some purple flower that he can't place. He holds his cup as carefully as he can, gazing down into the mauve liquid. "...What kind of tea is this?"

Joan giggles. "Blueberry, and you don't have to drink it if you don't want to."

"You've never given me anything that wasn't delicious," he says, and takes a long sip to wash the meaningfulness out of his mouth. 

Joan blushes, but doesn't actually seem that uncomfortable, and after a couple more awkward moments, she starts telling Frank about her day. It was apparently quite stressful, but her boss didn't do any shouting, and her new assignment is the kind she likes. Joan does copy-editing for a textbook company in between work from the city, and she likes third-grade math textbooks better than public transit brochures. It's soothing to listen to her talk about work, and by now she's used to Frank not saying much. She seems to be mostly done anxiously checking to be sure she's not boring him, and Frank is glad to see it.

"What about you?" she asks. "When's your next shoot?"

"We start day after tomorrow." He grimaces a little. "Some kinda male corsetry line, I'm really not looking forward to it."

"Poor Frank," she coos, teasing but still sweet. "I'm sure the pictures will be beautiful, at least."

"Thanks," he says softly, and Joan blushes again. "...Come closer?" Frank hears himself saying, and after a frozen second, Joan slides along the couch to tuck herself in against his side. 

She's wearing the usual baggy, self-effacing clothes, and he's amazed all over again at how small she is when he has that tiny, taut weight resting on him. He puts his arm around her and she sighs, hiding her face in his side. There's a residual tension to Joan that he recognizes. She's working up to asking him something, and Frank does his very best to feel welcoming at her. There's nothing she would ask that could make him dislike her, and he wishes she knew that.

"So," Joan says at last, in her very smallest voice, "I need to ask you something."

"Go ahead," Frank says, a little surprised at how soft his own voice gets around her.

"I..." she bites her lip and blushes, pressing into his side like a nervous dog. "I just want to know if... if SHIELD is just work, or if you really like that kind of thing." Frank can barely hear her by the end, and puts a comforting hand over her tiny one, where it's nervously wrapping itself into his shirt.

"Well... You've seen the first one," he says slowly, feeling his cheeks heat up a little. "I didn't take any Viagra for that. Didn't even know how hard I was until I saw the photos."

"...I'd just like to be sure," she says, so quietly he almost doesn't hear her at all, even this close. He waits for more, but none is forthcoming, Joan frozen up with anxiety again.

"Hey," Frank says, barely recognizing this gentle, coaxing tone as his own voice, "it's all right. You like this kind of thing, too?" He's not sure what to do with this sudden mental image of Joan in a collar and cuffs. It's hot, but also kind of off-putting.

"Yes," she whispers, still clinging to him.

"That's cool," Frank says, petting her hair because he's not sure what else to do. "I mean, if I thought it wasn't, I wouldn't have taken the job."

"Most people don't take me seriously as a domme," Joan whispers, and Frank trembles, the mental image melting into Joan standing over him with a crop. This one is uncomfortable too, but mostly because he's probably not supposed to be getting hard right now.

"...Pretty sure I could," he mutters, and risks a glance down at her only to see her gazing up at him with those big, brown eyes. 

It's intense eye contact, and Frank doesn't dare break it, held by Joan's gaze. She touches his stubbly cheek with one tiny hand, and he leans into it a little. Joan gets her knees under her on the couch, and rises up to be level with Frank. She comes in close enough to kiss and then doesn't actually do anything. Frank is surprised at the embarrassing little noise of longing that he makes in his throat, and can feel himself blushing again. Joan smiles, and closes the distance at last. Her lips are feather-light on his, and it's over far too soon for Frank's taste. He opens his eyes when Joan pulls away to find her gazing at him like she's trying to measure the exact effect of the kiss. He's not sure what she sees on his face, but whatever it is makes her kiss him again, and that's more than good enough for Frank.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone who knows what song the title is referencing gets a cookie.
> 
> Also, you really should read Tainted Hearts, it did all the heavy lifting for me. <3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [sunshine in an empty place](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11534817) by [AliuIce0814](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliuIce0814/pseuds/AliuIce0814)
  * [make it all work](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12885522) by [AliuIce0814](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliuIce0814/pseuds/AliuIce0814), [LittleBird20](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBird20/pseuds/LittleBird20)




End file.
